Commercial
IPT becoming government's 'golden goose' as income hits record high
Government income from insurance premium tax hit a record high of £6.3bn in 2018/19, up 7% from £5.8bn collected the previous year, according to an accountancy firm.
Arch beefs up Lloyd's presence with Barbican buy
Arch Capital has agreed to buy Lloyd’s insurance group Barbican.
Direct Line profit slips 10% in H1
Direct Line saw profit slide 10.2% for H1 compared to the first half of 2018.
Roundtable: Innovation in pricing: the need to adapt
As insurers innovate, those at the core of insurers’ pricing and underwriting strategies face a growing need to adapt. Post held a roundtable, in association with Sas, to examine what is driving innovation in pricing and what challenges those changes…
Nexus buys MGA Plus Risk Limited
Nexus has acquired financial and professional lines managing general agent Plus Risk Limited.
Sabre GWP drops in H1 from ‘intense competitive pressure’
Sabre’s combined operating ratio remained in its target of within the mid-70s range, while premiums shrank 7% in the first half of 2019.
Bupa's Alex Perry on prioritising mental health in the insurance sector
One in four people experience poor mental health each year, writes Alex Perry, CEO of Bupa Insurance UK, arguing that with a quarter of customers affected by the issue it's important that addressing mental health is a priority for the whole insurance…
Hiscox posts H1 profit of $168m, despite higher volume of claims
Hiscox has reported a profit before tax of $168m for the first quarter of 2019, up from a profit of $162.7m on the same period last year, despite a higher volume of claims.
Analysis: Impact of smart home technology on escape of water claims
In 2018 insurers dealt with 228,000 escape of water claims, at a cost of £617m – an increase from £529m paid out five years ago, according to statistics from the Association of British Insurers. With the rising cost of claims, can technology help reduce…
This week: Rolling in it
Thursday seemed an appropriate day for insurtech Hippo to announce the outcome of its latest funding round – with temperatures reaching 38°C in places, the urge to emulate the mud-wallowing tendencies of its namesake animal became more and more tempting.
More than half of global insurtech investment in Q2 came from four deals
Global insurtech investment hit $1.41bn in Q2 2019, with more than half of this coming from four transactions.
Date set for Covéa legal action as Scor CEO hails ‘strong performance’ in H1 2019
Scor’s property and casualty division has seen growth in H1 2019, while legal action against Covéa and its CEO and chairman Thierry Derez will continue in 2020.
Hiscox floats seized ship cover as Iran Gulf tensions threaten premiums
Hiscox has developed a product designed to protect shipping targeted by nation states amid warnings that escalating tensions between Iran and the UK and its allies could lead to higher insurance premiums.
Investment returns drive Beazley half-year profit as it strengthens cat reserves
Beazley saw double-digital premium growth in the first six months of the year, posting a pre-tax profit of $166.4m (£133.9m) largely driven by “exceptional” investment returns.
GRP buys Lancashire-based broker
Lancashire-based broker 3XD has hailed its “growth prospects” after being bought by consolidator GRP.
Axa XL names incoming Europe CUO
Axa XL has appointed Paul-Henri Rastoul as chief underwriting officer of its EU-registered vehicle, XL Insurance Company SE.
Analysis: Mitigating the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace
Over the past two years, awareness of how prevalent sexual harassment is in the workplace has reached perhaps unprecedented heights.
30,000 Alpha policyholders to be moved to new insurer
More than 30,000 property policyholders affected by the collapse of Alpha have been thrown a lifeline in the form of alternative cover arranged by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Half of industry growth over next five years to be driven by M&A, say insurers
A majority of insurers believe that mergers & acquisitions will drive more than half of the growth in the industry over the next five years, research by Deloitte has found.
Analysis: SME risk management: Loss of appetite
Small and medium-sized enterprises are facing a plethora of challenges. So how are insurers helping this sector?
Allianz in 'advanced negotiations' with partners to launch open platform
Allianz has reaffirmed its commitment to its open platform initiative despite there being outwardly little progress in the 18 months since it was first announced the plan at the beginning of 2018.
This week in Post: 25 years of the British Insurance Awards
This week the best and brightest in the insurance community gathered in the Royal Albert Hall for the 25th British Insurance Awards.
